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Hawaiian emergency agency slammed for cumbersome approach to security

Sensitive password to internal system given away in online photo

Hawaiians' Saturday night was punctuated by a false alert warning the population of an incoming nuclear missile, urging people to take shelter.

Shortly after it was broadcast, the state's Emergency Management Agency explained that a worker had accidentally clicked on the wrong button.

"It was a mistake made during a standard procedure at the changeover of a shift, and an employee pushed the wrong button," said Hawaiian Governor David Ige.

After that, many people began questioning the agency's competence, especially given its important duties. Now, a photo shared by the Associated Press has added more fuel to the fire.

Taken in July, the image shows one of the agency's officers standing in front of a bunch of screens. And, if you look carefully, there's a Post-It note stuck to one of them with the password for a critical system written down.

Speaking to Hawaii News Now, a spokesperson for the agency confirmed that the password detailed in the image is authentic. Although it's no longer used, it formed part of "an internal application" process, they claimed.

Cyber security experts have since slammed the organisation for its cumbersome attitude to cyber security. Graham Cluley blamed the false missile alert on a dodgy user interface that made it too easy too issue an alert.

He said: "Why have the genuine ‘Jeez Louise! Freak out everybody!' option slap-bang next to one the harmless ‘Test the brown alert' option?"

"Even though the menu option still required confirmation that the user really wanted to send an alert, that wasn't enough, on this occasion, to prevent the worker from robotically clicking onwards."